Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to air vents and ducts, methods of venting and directing air or exhaust, and construction methods and apparatus related thereto. The present invention more particularly concerns a clothes drier vent box and method for through-the-wall, ceiling and/or floor venting of clothes dryer exhaust from the interior of a home, apartment, building, and the like, an outside dryer vent box and method, and an outside or exterior exhaust box and method.
As shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, conventional residential home construction, clothes dryer venting duct work includes a large diameter polyvinyl chloride (PVC) 90.degree. elbow 10, a vertical section of large diameter PVC pipe 12, another 90.degree. elbow 14, and an elongate section of large diameter PVC pipe 16 which extends from the elbow 14 to the exterior of the slab or foundation. The slab 18 is covered with plywood decking 20, and hardwood flooring 22. The dryer 24 is conventional and shown to be resting about six inches away from a conventional 2.times.4 studded wall 25 having drywall wallboard 28 and 30 attached to vertical 2.times.4 studs 26 in a conventional fashion. Drywall wallboard 28 includes a large circular opening 32 which accommodates one end of PVC elbow 10. Drywall wallboard 30 includes a slower protruding or broken portion 34 which extends beyond the normal dimension of the 2.times.4 studded wall 25 to accommodate the remainder of PVC elbow 10 and the upper end of PVC pipe or riser 12. Baseboards or trim 36 are added to the base of drywall wallboards 28 and 30 adjacent hardwood flooring 22. Clothes drier 24 includes an exhaust gas or air outlet pipe 38 which is operatively connected to the open end of elbow 10 by a flexible plastic or metal conduit 40. Typically, one end of the flexible conduit 40 is simply placed into the open end of elbow 10 while the other end is placed over the drier outlet 38 and held in position either by friction or a removable clip or clamp.
This conventional dryer venting arrangement (FIG. 1) suffers from several drawbacks. First, the wall 26 has to be partially modified, destroyed, or broken to accommodate the elbow 10 and upper end of pipe 12. Second, the large opening 32 in drywall section 28 and open end of elbow 10 are unsightly and usually misplaced with respect to the outlet 38 of dryer 24. Third, flexible conduit 40 provides for fluid communication between outlet 38 and elbow 10, but tends to buckle and bow and in so doing prevents the full flow of exhaust gas or air from dryer 24 to reach elbow 10. This blockage tends to reduce the efficiency of the dryer 24, increase energy consumption, and may cause dust collection within the conduit 40, and thereby further prevent the passage of exhaust air or gases therethrough. Fourth, the end of flexible conduit 40 may become dislodged from the opening in elbow 10 and require the dryer to be moved away from the wall and the conduit placed back into the elbow. Fifth, the broken or bowed out lower portion 34 of drywall wallboard 30 is unsightly and causes bowing in the baseboard 36. This protruding portion 34 of the wall may obstruct the placement of items up against drywall wallboard 30 and reduce the aesthetic quality as well as the usefulness of that portion of the wall and room.
Also, if one attempts to avoid the protrusion of the lower portion 34 of drywall 30 by moving the elbow 10 to the right, this causes the open end of the elbow 10 to extend through the drywall wallboard 28 which is not only unsightly, and detracts from the aesthetic quality of the wall, but also may cause the dryer to have to be moved further out into the room thereby reducing the remaining useful room space.
Similar undesirable venting assemblies are found in conventional multi-unit residential units as well as commercial and industrial buildings and plants. In some instances, a clothes dryer or similar device is vented to the outside of the building by simply knocking a large opening through the outer wall and placing a length of large diameter PVC pipe therein to serve as a vent. This produces unsightly openings in the interior and exterior of the wall, may not provide for proper placement or location of the vent opening relative to the dryer outlet, and may leave a large outer opening which allows the entrance of rain, insects, rodents, etc.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved venting assembly and method for the venting of exhaust gases or air.